Thursday, February 4, 2010

"POTTED TOFU"-- MISO-MARINATED TOFU THAT'S KINDA LIKE FETA

"Potted Tofu" in a green salad. (The British "pot"-- or preserve-- meat or shrimp, so why not tofu?)

I hadn't made this recipe for a long time-- it is in my first and second books, but I have added a way of storing it for longer.

I devised this as a feta substitute after I read about the Japanese method of pickling tofu in miso. The usual method involves a paste of miso and sake or wine (and sometimes sesame oil, ginger, etc.), in which the sliced tofu is coated. It is placed in a covered container and left for almost a day. If left for several days, this makes a quite sharp-tasting product, like a ripe cheese. (I'll post about it at another time.)

My method is a little different and the result is delicious-- I'd almost forgotten how delicious! I intend to keep some of this marinating regularly! It's very simple to make.

You can make this very smooth and soft, or more firm, depending on your taste. You can use ordinary medium-firm tofu, or firm tofu, or extra-firm silken tofu (I think regular extra-firm tofu would be too hard). I used regular firm tofu for the tofu in the pictures here.

Mix the marinade ingredients together and immerse the tofu in the marinade in a suitable covered container. It should be fully covered. A canning jar will do fine, but I used a small pottery casserole. Keep it refrigerated for at least 1 1/2 weeks or up to 3 weeks.

Fish the tofu carefully out of the Marinade.

You can carefully rinse off the tofu with cold water, if you like. It will keep in a covered container for a week or so. For longer storage, I pour canola oil over the tofu (to cover)-- I didn't rinse it-- and add garlic cloves (peeled), dried red hot peppers, and herbs such as bay leaves, rosemary, sage leaves, etc.. You can also add strips of orange or lemon zest and some olives.

The tofu will keep (refrigerated) in the oil for many weeks. (Both the marinade and the oil can be reused for the next batch.)

Oh my goodness...I love your tofu feta recipe, and I cannot wait to try this! Question, though--if the only miso I have access to is a darker red miso, how should I adjust the recipe? I am assuming I will need less...any suggestions?

Wow, this brings back memories of when I used to regularly make your tofu miso cheeze. Sorry if I mangled the recipe name -- I just remember how much I enjoyed the result! I believe I did use a darker miso for that one b/c it was what I had on hand. I look forward to trying this variation.

On another note, I just went to look at your first cookbook (which my family & friends have LOVED) and realized it's 3000 miles away in my mom's pantry, along with two of your other books. :-/ At least I still have Nonna's Italian Kitchen here!

Hi Bryanna - this is not relevant to your most recent post, but it's such a good idea that I just cannot resist telling you about it. Possibly (probably?) you already know this, but just in case you don't......

I recently bought a SoyaPowerPlus soymilk maker (I had been using a SoyaJoy basic model for years and years). I love the new one, btw. [Soy plus rice] milk is delicious and so creamy that I must dilute it about half/half with water.

But that's not what I wanted to tell you about. I had been straining the soymilk through a permanent coffee filter, as suggested on the manufacturer's website. But that was really a terrible nuisance and kept me standing at the sink for fully 10 to 15 minutes every time I made soymilk. (I have arthritis of the spine and standing at the sink is PAINFUL so I try to avoid it.)

I finally remembered the existence of a conical strainer, often called a 'chinois' (after it's resemblance to a Chinese hat). Some of them have ultra-fine mesh.

I located one and bought it. I picked this particular one because it has extra fine mesh and it is LARGE. It's made of stainless steel. This is the perfect tool for the job, in my opinion.

WHOOSH and most of the soymilk has gone through; a quick press with an oversized rubber spatula or wooden paddle, and the rest goes through. Time spent standing at sink: about one minute.

It's so large that I must hang it on the wall from a cuphook, but this is OK with me.

This is the one I bought:

http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/winco/ccb-8/p365714.aspx

It was on sale for $19.95 when I bought it a few weeks ago; but now it is $28.40. I think it's well worth the cost even at that price. The same outfit also has oversized rubber spatulas and I bought a couple from them.

From their website, I believe they will ship to Canada, but you could probably locate a Canadian supplier instead.

I've recently bought both 'Nonna's Italian Kitchen' and 'Dairy Free and Delicious' b/c I have developed an allergy to dairy products. I think so highly of both books (especially 'Nonna's') that I then bought a second copy of each and gave them to my daughter who shares the dairy allergy. She is absolutely delighted with them too.

I had bought your original book when it first came out, and have now bought all your cookbooks. Thanks for your hard work developing so many very good recipes.

The chinois is probably more costly in Canada too. Most things are, I believe. (I lived in Edmonton for two years a long time ago.)

I'm trying to simplify my cooking and housekeeping so that it will be easier and faster as I age (I'll be 66 next month). So I don't want a cloth bag to wash each time. I agree that one would work, however.

Well, maybe you can recommend the chinois to others in a future cookbook. :) It really is too good an idea to keep to myself!

I made this, and loved it. Also, I ended up keeping some of this in the marinade for way longer than 3 weeks and it just got better and better, though the tofu became more and more fermented and ended up as a sort of delicious slime that I used in a chipotle-flavoured salad dressing that was absolutely out of this world. Even my *dad* asked for the recipe. So, yeah, this is definitely a winner ;-)

Such a lovely treat to share. I made it and have been eating it out of the pot ( marinade) for weeks. It is sooo good on toast with your cashew mayo . Thanks so much Bryanna. I like all your your recipes as they always turn out perfectly the way they supposed to. I have been missing cheese for so long and even bought books on vegan cheese making but they tasted terrible and they were loaded with calories and fat. I bought all your books I can as Kindle edition. I am going to try your cream cheese next from your " Almost fat-free cookbook"

I found the recipe I thought I had gotten from you some time in the late 1990s or early 2000s. Directions aren't exact as I handwrote them...

1 lb firm tofu1/2 C miso2 C hot water1 tsp sugar

Cut tofu into 1" cubes. Steam tofu for 10 minutes. Mix miso & sugar in 2 C hot water and stir to dissolve.Let mixture cool to warm.Pour mix over tofu in container and cover. Put in refrigerator and shake gently every day. Ready to eat in about a week.

I haven't tried your update but always enjoyed this particular recipe and rarely could wait a whole week before eating.

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